The Broken Land

"Little by little, more genre films are being made in Latin American cinematographies, like this fantasy drama with western touches from Argentina, with Matías Lucchesi ("Natural Sciences") in the direction, Mariano Llinás ("Extraordinary Stories") in the screenplay, and two great actresses in the starring roles: Mercedes Morán ("The Marsh") and Natalia Oreiro ("The German Doctor"). "Las Rojas" is the story of a prestigious paleontologist (Morán) who jealously defends a secret: she has found the fossilized remains of a hippogriff, the mythical animal. The foundation that finances her decides to send another paleontologist (Oreiro) to investigate, and she questions her work. But the two women must join forces when a rival appears who seeks to acquire the discovery. There are some rhythm, editing, and dialogue problems, but their two lead actresses elevate the film, a praiseworthy proposal for Latin American cinema with fantastic elements."